THE SOUTH POLE.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 681, 4 December 1909, Page 9

THE SOUTH POLE.

.IS,BRITISH PRE-EMINENCE TO BE

;'"..■ ";' ■:'.['■■ MAINTAINED? ~ ,::-.,' ' :• Tho Lord Mayor of London called 0 a meeting at the .Mansion House;..i'ecently.in ; order- to raise funds", -of. Captain Scott's"Autarctio expedition.:.-.: Sir .Cohah.'Doylo said. that,''there was', one Pole left, and that should bo : -ours." ... A '.; '•- "'.-''.

stated that, taking all things info account, ho hoped that' .£IO,OOO would bo enough to, cover the expedition for one year of work. 'If that sum was contributed by this country then lie hoped that, with tho co-operation of the overseas-Dominions, they mignt- raise -a sum sufficient to. carr- on the work until it was finished, that was to say, if necessary, for a-second and possibly 1 a.third, season. He would prefer a request for support, to ,the Government of, the Commonwealth, of Australia, tho\scientific work of an expedition of that" kind—its meteorological and magnetic observations—was possibly of greater use to the countries which lay, adjacent'.to. the region of research than it ( was to the Homeland. ;

"And now I will bo asked," said 'Captain Scott, "'What is the object of the expedition?'. It is a difficult question to answer, but' I think it can : be reduced to a practical point. If we 'look back at the exploration of tho North we.find that in the middle of the:nincteenth' century ; this -country'; had a preeminence which' was 50.,-marked that anybody wishing.to go to tho Arctic'would naturally consult with English explorers ..and make up his. equipment on English'models. 'That preeminence'passed away, and with ! it has gono. our leadership' in the Arctic. Of course, people will say, 'What matter?' but I do : not ; think that any Englishman. is quite pleased' to think that wo are supposed'to regard as a' compliment the placing of this nation as second in "Arctic exploration. I fell quite certain that if. wo can look on that .complacently, those men: who 'went up to tho North in 1850 ; and; onwards could' not'do so. If that is the case in tho North, we must tumour eyes to the. South, and see if history is '. to repeat itself thero, In the South now, England has a pre-eminence.- No other nation has done anything like the same amount of work as wo have done there. The:question to bo answered is," "Is that • pre-eminence to be lost or maintained?'..The-practical.point is, do -tho English people want, or do ;they notwant an English subject to bo the first to get to the South-Pole?' I do not want to exalt Polar exploration as the aim of a ■ great I-nation, but.'l do say that a great nation musf strive to excel in every form of enterprise. If I wished for a quiet and' comfortable life I should stay, wkero I am. But I don't want this- thing to fall .through, and it requires tho experience which at present .only--Mr. Shackleton and I possess. . Mr. Shackleton is unfortunately unable to go again just now. I may add that if soino British subject'had not come forward a few weeks back to carry out this work, ho. "would have .-.found, himself a few weeks „bjter in an awkward position of possible rivalry. On© thing T wish to add, and it. is this: I.hold .that the ■ personality of the man who undertakes on expedition which in any ..sense is' national, should bo sunk in favour of, tho work which is-in hand. That has been my guiding'principle and. will bo. What I wish to say arising from that.is that my supporters need never fear that tho dignity, of the country, will suffer ..by this expedition. Wn may; fail, but they will'havo no eaus9 for doubting tho story that wo tell." (Cheers.)